Building internal toughness

There are many skills you need as an entrepreneur. From being an astute salesperson, being the best in the business to being extremely versatile in the initial stages of the business. But above all that, you need to have a healthy dose of resilience.

Entrepreneurship is a journey full of learnings, mistakes, and many bumps along the way. Even the most successful entrepreneurs both locally and internationally will tell you that you are going to fail many times along the way and you have to pick yourself up. You have to realise that it is not a straightforward journey and most of the time, it is a lonely journey and that is why you need resilience to succeed. It is the fuel you need to get through the hard days and emerge successful.

So, what are the ingredients that make up resilience?

Mental toughness

Your mind can be your greatest cheerleader or your greatest setback. To become successful, you have to have the right mindset because you will need a lot of personal motivation and pep talks. You can watch endless footages of motivational speakers and successful entrepreneurs but the most important motivation comes from within. Like most people say, sometimes you have to call yourself to a meeting and really convince yourself. Remind yourself why you chose that path and why it matters. Sometimes, you have to take each day at a time. Simply think about how you can make the most of the day so that the small strides can lead to greater success.

Determination and firmness

No one ever woke up and made their big break in a day. Even those who finally get their big break have hours of work behind them. They don’t simply make it in a day because success is not instant. To get to your big break, you have to be determined to succeed and you have to stand firm as you pursue your dream. Many a time, you will be told to simply give up and do what everyone else is doing because you seem mad. However, if you are sure of your dream, you have to be firm and you have to keep going even on your lowest days.

Optimism

To succeed as an entrepreneur, you have to learn to face the bad days and keep working for the good days. You need to expect the best outcome for every situation and you have to keep implementing your ideas as you work towards success. There will be many bad days but there will also be many great days. You have to learn to take the bad days and keep pushing for the good days and of course celebrate the good days.

Relentless Pursuit of Goals

Every entrepreneur starts their business for a reason. Oftentimes, the purpose is to solve a specific problem in the market. Your goal is what will keep you going even when you are having a bad day. Be clear on what your purpose and that of your business is and you will always be able to bounce back even on the bad days. When your goal is clear, even failure is not enough to distract you, especially with the right mental toughness.

Decisiveness

As an entrepreneur, you have to learn how to make positive and well-thought out decisions. Being decisive helps you bounce back on bad days and take responsibility for your decisions, which then trains you on how to make sound decisions. You must learn that your decisions will not make everyone happy and procrastination is your enemy. Being decisive helps you learn how to stick by your decisions and quickly make changes where necessary.

6. Flexibility

Entrepreneurs should be highly adaptable people because situations are always changing. You should be open to changing your mind or making a change as soon as may be necessary because entrepreneurship is a game of chances. Resilience gives you the ability to quickly let go of what is not working and trying out new ideas, which is a key ingredient for success. Flexibility also gives you the ability to spring back from failure as you get to learn something and apply your lessons in your next move.

At the end of the day…

Every entrepreneur needs personal resilience to survive. Not just at the beginning of the business, but every single day. Businesses are fraught with challenges but it is the ability to successfully go through the bad days that sets the successful ones apart from those who do not succeed. Always remember, Greatness requires internal toughness (G.R.I.T).

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